Bottle for ink or other liquids



a July 17, 1934. w DENMS ETAL "1,966,754

BOTTLE FOR INK OR OTHER LIQUIDS Filed April' 22, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 1INVENTORS Charles RDenmls aviihiizr E [owl/11m ATTORN EYS Jilly 17,1934. c. w DENNIS r AL 1,966,754

BOTTLE FOR INK OR OTHER LIQUIDS FiledApril 22, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTORS (A ar/es ltflennzs ATTORNEYS Patented 17, 1934 PATENT OFFICE.

BOTTLE FOR INK OR OTHER LIQUIDS Charles w. Dennis, Middletown, andWalter E. Lowthian, White Plains, N. Y.

Application April 22, 1933, Serial No. 667,360

7 Claims.

This invention relates to bottles and other liquid containers of thetype having a neck or neck-like extension provided with .an auxiliaryreceptacle or cup which may be filled by tilting or inverting thebottle, to provide a measured quantity of liquid in the cup for readyaccess upon removal of the cork or other closure. The chief object ofthe invention is to provide a de- 'vice of the nature referred to, whichis cheap, unfailing in operation, and capable of being manufactured withbut little if any special shaping of the bottle or of the bottle neck.Another object is to provide a device having an auxiliary cup orreceptacle which will operate with the same facility and certainty whenthe bottle is nearly empty as when it contains a relatively large amountof liquid. To these and other ends the invention comprises the novelfeatures and combinations hereinafter described.

One use in which the invention is particularly useful is in ink bottles,to provide at the top of the neck a small quantity of ink into which thepen may be dipped, and from which a self-filling fountain pen may befilled without smearing the penholder or barrel with ink as is so liableto happen when the pen is thrust into the bottle itself. We haveaccordingly illustrated herein several forms which at the present timeare believed to be the best for the purpose mentioned.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a common form of bottle such as is usedfor ink, with the present invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view, on a larger scale, of the auxiliary cup orreceptacle.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section similar to Fig. 1 but showing the bottleinverted to fill the cup in the neck thereof.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section showing another form of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a cross section similar to Fig. 2 but showing a modification.

Figs. '7, 8 and 9 are perspective views illustrating other forms ofcups.

The bottle 10 has a neck 11 provided with a closure of any suitablekind, in the present instance a screw cap 12 having the usual gasket 13.Mounted in the neck in any convenient manner is an auxiliary cup orreceptacle 14, preferably though not necessarily fixed in position orsecured firmly enough to prevent displacement in ordinary use. To permiteasy refilling of the 55 bottle the cup may be removable. By preferencethe cup is made of semi-rigid material, by which is meant material whichcan give slightly without breaking, as for example celluloid, hard orsemi-soft rubber, a phenolic resin, or the like. To hold the cup inposition the inside of the neck or the inside of the cup, or both, mayhave a slight downward taper, as indicated in the drawings, so that thecup may be wedged in place merely by pushing it down into the neck. Ifthe cup is made of glass it is left loose inthe neck or fixed inposition by means of a suitable cement or adhesive, as any attempt towedge the cup in the neck is liable to cause breakage, unless cup andneck are accurately fitted, as by grinding or the like, a constructionwhich would increase the cost of manufacture.

The cup is provided with one or more outer longitudinal ribs, as 15,preferably integral with the body of the cup, which serve to space theouter surface of the cup from the inner surface of the neck, to provideat least one longitudinal passage, as 16, for the flow of ink into thecup when the bottle is inverted. The passage or passages mentioned alsoprovide spaces in which liquid will be held by capillary action when thebottle is turned back to normal or upright position. In designing a cupto fit a given size and shape of neck it should be kept in mind that thelarger these passages the more rapidly the cup will fill, but that theymust be small enough to give the capillary action needed to preventemptying when, the cup having been filled, the bottle is returned toupright position.

To permit inflow of liquid when the bottle is inverted the cup isprovided with one or more air-escape openings. One such opening isusually suflicient and it is preferably in the bottom of the cup, as at17, since if placed in the side of the cup too much air may be trappedtherein unless the opening is located close to the bottom.

When the bottle is turned upside down, as in Fig. .4, the air in the cupbubbles from the vent opening 17 and liquid running down through thecapillary passage or passages 16 rises in the cup. When the bubblescease to rise the bottle is 100 turned back to upright position, thenupon removing the cap the cup will be found to be filled with liquid.The latter does not, however, run out through the opening 17. This seemsto be due to the fact that since the passages 16 are 105 closed byliquid therein, apparently held by capillary action, air can not escapefrom the bottle and hence retains sufficient pressure to prevent inflowof liquid through the opening 1'7.

When the bottle is inverted to fill the cup the 110 liquid tends to fillthe entire space between the bottom of the cup and the inner surface ofthe closure. Hence if the latter is in the form of a cap the user mayfind, on turning the bottle upright and removing the cap, that theliquid fills the neck to the brim and hence may overflow easily,especially when the nozzle of the fountain pen is thrust into the inkfor filling purposes. To prevent such overfiow the central part of thecap may be depressed, as at 18, to take up more or less of the spacebetween the same and the cup. Then when the cap is removed the surfaceof the liquid will be correspondingly below the top of the neck.

The invention may be used to advantage with other liquids than ink, asfor example for measuring out a dose of medicine, or an amount ofantiseptic liquid for dilution.

In Fig. 5 is shown a construction in which neither the tapering cup 14nor the tapering neck is otherwise shaped to provide a passage orpassages for the liquid. Instead, both are smooth and hence may fittogether, for example as in the figure, but in that case the fit shouldbe loose so that when the bottle is inverted the cup can drop and thusopen a passage between itself and the neck through which the liquid canpass. Upon turning the bottle upright again, the cup will drop back andhold a film of liquid between itself and the neck. It has been foundthat if the cup is light in weight the air in it when the bottle isinverted will buoy it up enough to permit the liquid to pass under itsedge. On the other hand, if the cup is too heavy it may drop far enoughto seat its edge on the closure and may thus impede the infiow ofliquid. In suchcase the cup may be provided at its edge with one or morelugs, as 19, to hold the edge away from the closure and thus leave spacefor the passage of the liquid.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to theconstruction illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, but can be embodiedin other forms. For instance, the ribs which provide the capillarypassage or passages may be on the inside of the neck of the bottle, asshown at 15c, Fig. 6. Or the passages may be simple grooves or tubularopenings, preferably in the cup as indicated at 160., Fig. 7, and 16b,Fig. 8, respectively.

The use of a plurality of passages has the advantage that theircollective capacity can be large enough for rapid filling oi the cup andyet they can be individually small so as to insure holding the liquidtherein when the bottle is turned back to upright position. A singlepassage may, however, be used, as for example in Fig. 9, in'which thepassage is provided by a groove or indentation 16c in the side of thecup, which elsewhere may be shaped to fit snugly and tightly in theneck. With a single passage greater care is sometimes necessary inshaping the passage to a size which will give the desired rapidity offilling and yet holding the liquid when the bottle is upright.

It is to be understood that the invention can be embodied in still otherforms without departing from its spirit as defined by the appendedclaims.

We claim:

1. In a device of the character described, in combination, abottle/having a neck equipped with a removable closure, and an upwardlyopen cup supported in the neck and providing passages adapted for theinflow of liquid into the cup when the bottle is inverted and forholding liquid by capillary action when the bottle is turned back toupright position, the cup having a bottom opening for the escape of airwhile the cup is being filled.

2. In a device of the character described, in combination, a bottlehaving a neck tapering downwardly on the inside and equipped with aremovable closure, and an upwardly open cup wedged in the tapering neckand providing passages for the flow of liquid into the cup when thebottle is inverted, the cup having a bottom opening for the escape ofair and said passages being dimensioned to hold liquid therein when thebottle is returned to upright position.

3. In a device of the character described, in combination, a bottlehaving an element comprising a neck, a removable closure for the neck,and an element comprising an upwardly open cup supported in the taperingneck, one of said elements being ribbed to provide passages between thetwo for flow of liquid into the cup when the bottle is inverted, the cuphaving abottom opening for escape of air as the cup fills and the saidpassages being dimensioned to hold liquid therein when the bottle isreturned to upright position.

4. Inc. device of the character described, in combination, a bottlehaving a neck, and an upwardly open cup supported in the neck, the cupbeing ribbed to provide passages between the neck and thecup for flow ofliquid into the cup when the bottle is inverted, the cup having a bottomopening for the escape of air and the said passages being dimensioned tohold liquid therein when the bottle is returned to upright position.

5. In a device of the character described, in combination, a bottlehaving a neck, and an upwardly open cup supported in the neck, the cupbeing grooved longitudinally on its outer surface to provide passagesfor the flow of liquid into the cup when the bottle is inverted, the cuphaving a bottom opening for escape of air and said passages beingdimensioned to hold liquid therein when the bottle is returned toupright position.

6. In a device of the character described, in combination, a bottlehaving a neck the inside of which tapers downwardly, a removable closurefor the neck, an upwardly open downwardly tapering cup supported in theneck by the cooperating tapered surfaces but loose therein to permitdownward movement of the cup when the bottle is inverted whereby apassage is opened between the cup andthe neck for flow of liquid, saidcup having a bottom opening for the escape of air and having lugs on itsupper edge to prevent seating of the edge on the closure when the bottleis inverted.

7. In a device of the character described, in combination, a bottlehaving a neck, a removable closure therefor, and an upwardly open cup inthe neck, cooperating therewith to support the cup and maintain liquidbetween the two to prevent escape of air from the bottle, the cup beingloose in the neck so as to drop freely when the bottle isinverted'whereby liquid in the bottle can flow downwardly between thecup and the neck and thence under the edge thereof and upwardly into thecup, the latter having a bottom opening for the escape of air when thebottle is inverted.

" CHARLES W. DENNIS.

WALTER E. IOWTHIAN.

